Summer Visits

A second wave of visitors made their way from the US to Belgium in the last few months. Granted, I've been advertising Brussels, Belgium, and the area in general to anyone within earshot, but I've been extraordinarily lucky to show off (one of) my adopted country (countries?) to people I adore. Here's what we've been up to:

We've explored Brussels...



Grand Place

Portuguese BBQ at Stadhuis St. Gilles

We've made short journeys to Leuven and to Antwerpen...

We sampled some of the country's finest products...

We celebrated holidays and birthdays...

We even made it to the Ardennes...

We're nearly four years into this Europeanization and after three years in Belgium, my list of favorite restaurants, bars, museums, pleins (squares), parks, shops, etc, is ever expanding. There is nothing better than being accompanied by friends and family from home to these local gems- these visits transform even the most tedious locations like Grand Place and the Mannekin Pis from average tourist attractions to meaningful, beautiful spots.   Now I just need to coax my parents into (finally!!) planning a fall tour to the lowlands- it will be a quiet and cold autumn with no visitors...